Nokia – U-turn on Symbian

Nokia has said Symbian will not be discontinued despite a recent partnership with Microsoft to make Windows 7 the main operating platform for its phones.

This is a U-turn on the phone manufacturer’s original stance. Nokia plans to continue selling Symbian devices because it is obliged to do so, according to several reports.

“Just because we are changing our direction in terms of a smartphone platform, it doesn’t mean that the existing platform is completely broken,” said Vlasta Berka, general manager for Nokia Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, at the launch of the E7 smartphone in Singapore.

“We still have obligations to our users, developers, business partners and customers.” There are 200 million Symbian users globally, and Nokia expects to sell about 150 million devices. “Symbian is here to stay,” Berka added.